While Superman feels contentment with his family and his career (being free from the conflict inherent with being a superhero), he realizes all is not as it seems as the dream deepens. Through sheer force of will (Mongul comments that the sensation is akin to Superman tearing off his own arm), Kal-El tells his beloved son that he doesn't think he's real. With this revelation, the illusion is dispelled, and Superman is freed in time to save his friends from Mongul. During the ensuing fight, the Black Mercy attaches itself to Batman; we see briefly see images of his idea of an idyllic life (which involves his parents never being gunned down in front of him). Jason Todd manages to pry the Black Mercy off of Batman using Mongul's special gauntlets.

As Superman prepares to deliver a crushing (perhaps killing) blow to Mongul, he is distracted by the sight of the statues of his parents, which allows Mongul to deliver a stunning counterattack. Mongul is on the verge of killing Superman when Robin attaches the Black Mercy to Mongul, who is instantly seized by the plant and submerged into his own deepest fantasy: he swats the Mercy aside, kills Superman, and conquers the universe.

The animated version removes the darker aspects of the original dream world and gives Superman a mostly idyllic life. In this adaptation, he is a Kryptonian farmer with his wife Loana (three guesses as to which two characters she's an amalgamation of — her voice actress is the same as Lois Lane's, to boot), his son Van-El, and a pet dog named Krypto. Jor-El appears as a contented, doting grandfather (who is somewhat dismissive of Kal-El's farming lifestyle), and his bitterness at his false prediction is reduced to a single line about how his reputation took years to salvage. Brainiac even appears as a dutiful household A.I. The only clues something is amiss are a constant stream of random earthquakes and Jor-El's voice continually changing. Jason Todd is also absent from this adaptation; Batman instead escapes from the Mercy's dream with Wonder Woman's help, and Wonder Woman is the one who puts the plant on Mongul.

The Supergirl episode, "For the Girl Who Has Everything," makes rather more significant changes. Kara retains her old memories and spends a while trying to get out of the dream world before accepting that it's "real," and her sister Alex has to actually enter the dream herself to get her out. The Black Mercy then dies once it's pulled off, allowing the perpetrator Non to live to fight another day after a beating from Supergirl.

"For the Man Who Has Everything" provides examples of:

Armor-Piercing Response: Kal tells his father, "Sometimes, I think you wanted to be right. Sometimes, I think you wanted Krypton to be destroyed." After he leaves, Jor-El angrily smashes a crystal tree sculpture then sobs piteously.

Be Careful What You Wish For: Apparently the Black Mercy tries to give you a happy illusion, but if the logical extrapolation of what you want is not really happy, you'll end up in a nightmare like Superman does.

Beware the Nice Ones: It is rare for Superman to truly unleash on someone with intent to kill. Mongul is lucky to be alive.

Brick Joke: At the beginning of the comic, Wonder Woman says she got Superman a replica of Kandor made by Themiscyran jewelcrafters and that she hopes he doesn't already have one. At the end, Superman receives this gift — and hastily puts away the Kandor replica he already has.

Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp": Some things have a different name on Krypton (at least, the illusory Krypton in Superman's mind) than they do on Earth, from the simpler things ("first-day" instead of birthday, "units" for minutes) to inventions analogous to Earth ones ("holofactor" for television, and "paragondola" which is a floating, wheel-less automobile).

Crapsack World: What Krypton has apparently become in Superman's dream — at least that's what Jor-El believes.

Crystal Spires and Togas: While Krypton is generally portrayed as a utopian society, the comic book version subverts this heavily. The fact that Kryptonian skies are a sinister red tone (due to Krypton orbiting a red sun) is the reader's first hint of the darkness of the illusion. Played straight in the JLU version.

Decapitation Presentation: In Mongul's fantasy, he rips Superman's head off and puts it on a pike, taking it everywhere he conquers.

Deus Angst Machina: There's probably no logical reason why a logical extrapolation of what Superman's life on Krypton would be like would not involve the world having descended into social upheaval and riots, his father having become a reactionary bigot, and his mother having died of cancer. But there's also no reason it would have to involve those things other than it being necessary for the plot.

Dream Apocalypse: "You're my son and I'll always love you... But I don't think you're real." And once you wake up, all those you loved who were not real will be gone, of course.

Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: In both versions, it's implied at the end that Mongul is perfectly content with the fantasy of bloody conquest the Black Mercy is giving him. Whereas Superman is able to break free because, being a hero, he was able to comprehend something wrong with the fantasy he was given. In the TV version, Mongul speculates that Superman is living out a fantasy of conquest.

Just Friends: Superman and Wonder Woman, according to Wonder Woman. Then Moore tosses in the Ship Tease noted below.

Karma Houdini/Karmic Death: Mongul's fate. Death being figurative here, of course. Depending on if Mongul's dream turns sour or if he's dissatisfied with it, he got exactly what he wanted and was satisfied with it. In the Justice League Unlimited episode, Batman bitterly states that whatever he sees is "too good for him".

Kick the Dog: General consensus seems to be that Mongul's sexist remarks are done just to be a prick.

Meaningful Name: Batman (Wonder Woman in the animated version) bred a new rose as a gift for Superman, calling it "The Krypton". It's ruined at the end of the story. Superman is aware of the irony and meaning.

Many, but the most affecting is that Brainiac still shrunk Kandor in Superman's fantasy and took it away. At the end of his dream, Kal-El visits the Kandor Crater with his son.

The story might have been influenced by another comic, "Superman's Secret Afterlife" from 1979, where the hero was also trapped in an illusionary alternate life by some of his enemies, also using an alien creature.

No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Superman deals one to Mongul in a fit of rage. Even Mongul was afraid that he was going to kill him.

Batman: It was so strange... I was married to Kathy Kane and we had a teenage daughter...

Nothing Is Scarier: Unlike the comic version, in the animated version we never actually get to see what it is that Mongul sees in his fantasy (though we do hear small snippets of it). And yet, it is so much worse...

Politically Incorrect Villain: Mongul makes a number of blatantly sexist remarks toward Wonder Woman in both adaptations, which is ironic since at least in the comic he speaks of gender distinctions as something he's only heard about.

Ship Tease: Alan Moore has Superman and Wonder Woman having a long kiss on the mouth, with this exchange:

Superman: Mmmm. Why don't we do that more often? Wonder Woman: I don't know. Too predictable?

Straw Conservative: In the comic, Jor-El becomes one of these after his predictions of Krypton's fate don't come true.

Stripperific: In the comic, Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman are making small talk outside the Fortress in the Arctic snow. When Wonder Woman suggests they (specifically, Batman and Robin who are not endowed with superpowers like she is) get inside to avoid the cold, Robin (himself barelegged) comments on how little she's wearing compared to them: "Before us two freeze? Dressed like that?" Batman merely replies with "Think clean thoughts, chum."

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